You set up the tents, at first, because you have the most experience camping IRL, back when your dad insisted it built character (and before you came to agree with him, too late to let him know). That turned into four relatively large, sturdy tents and one smaller one, which Hikaru was predictably unpleased to find - even if he did admit he didn't need more space, as he was.
You finish your job earlier than the others, and you find yourself itching for more to do. Part of it is not wanting to seem - feel - useless, a desire now to make up for lost time spent sitting on your ass at home even while you did your dronelivery rigging work, learning nothing useful except how to transfer those skills into doing extremely dirty things with an Icarus exomech in Orbital Knights. But there's more to it than that; there was a time when you took joy in physical exertion, before everything fell apart in high school, and it's like you suddenly remembered that you had a body and there were ways to enjoy using it.
...not like that. Focus, Jake.
There are a lot more jobs to do, big ones that the others need help with. As much as you want to spend more time with Hikaru gathering firewood and tending the fire - to ask him more about his life since he dropped that bomb on you, and because you're apparently 15 with butterflies in your stomach again - the plain fact is that you've been neglecting your both your best friend and your roommate. And while Ace still needs a friend and still needs help, and you seriously consider spending more time to help her get adjusted, wanting to check in with the friends you've had for longer takes priority.
You're very tired.
Not enough to stop yet, but enough that if you do stop, you'll crash.
You sigh and look for Sekhmet and Alesha.
----
Sehkmet has gathered everyone's possessions - with permission; they suggested taking inventory and everyone, in Ace's case begrudgingly, agreed - and is trying to array them in front of themselves on a blanket, frowning.
Sekh's large, triangular sonar dishes track you before they turn around, and they wave you over.
"I can hand things to you," you offer, "while you sort."
"Works for me," they say, frowning. "Good to see you in... good to see you vertical."
You sigh. "Look, Jules, I'm sorry it took me so long to call you after things got weird, it's just -"
"- things got weird," they say. "Honestly I'm impressed you got it together enough to remember at all. Anyone would panic, and hate to say it, but you kind of have an exaggerated freeze response."
"Fuck you," you say cheerfully as you hand her a heavy bag, but they're right.
"And there's my fight response rubbing off on you," they say. "Uh, side note."
You nod.
"I think it might be a good idea to just... call me Sekhmet here. To get used to calling each other by avatar name," they say, quite seriously. They loosen the bag; inside is some kind of dried beans, which she reseals and adds to the pile. "I'm not sure I want my IRL name in circulation here any more than it already is."
You freeze.
After a second of thought about that response, you loosen up a bit, reminding yourself to take Sekhmet's reads of people seriously as you reach into your pack again.
You hand them what you think of as a dicebag, with your massage oils, perfumes and incense in it.
"...Why, do you suspect anything in particular? Sekhmet?"
"Just a hunch, Deedee." They nod, taking the bag, visually scanning it, another nod, put it down. "We're trapped here, and I gotta wonder who wants us trapped here, and why."
"Well," you say. "I'll be sleeping soundly tonight."
"Probably snore less, though," they say altogether too cheerfully.
"That's a bright side to being a six-foot foxgirl that hadn't yet occurred to me," you say, ears flattening as if your dry tone desiccated them.
Sekh snort-purred, an extremely odd sound that it took you a second to realize was an Ubastim laugh. "Honestly, I'm not surprised you're taking to this like a duck to water. Holy shit, I know I said it, but you have no idea how glad I am to see you're okay."
You take a deep breath. "Yeah. Same. Damn, we just paid rent and bills back home too."
"And now we're gonna have to here," they say, frowning. "We're gonna have to do some grinding and gathering and foraging, hook up with the fishing village on this rock, deal with the pirate quest and get to Viacruz and the good jobs in less than a week at this rate. Less than, so we have some wiggle room."
You look at them. They look back.
"There's a reason I got started on potion gathering," they say. "Potions sell well. Or they did."
"And I can already tell we need to sleep here," you say, rolling your shoulder.
You realize, that moment, that you're ravenous. "And eat," you say.
"Yeah," Sekhmet says. "On the plus side, our job kicks the ass out of working for Tote-Em-Snax now, though I know we're gonna be missing Buffalo wings and Froz-N-Cola slush, hard as that is to imagine."
You manage a chuckle. "You know, 16 years ago, my guidance counselor never suggested 'mercenary for the Yberian crown' as a career path."
They roll their own neck and do that laugh-purr again. "Okay. Let's finish this up and join the others. And pass on the advice to use screennames. Shame Alesha straight up used her own name, but that's on her."
"I doubt her last name is Herezhade, at least," you say.
It doesn't take you more than 15 minutes to confirm she's right. You'll wake up to 6 days rations and consumables. You're on a clock.
You wonder how many others are here, and if they'll run out that clock or deal with monsters they can't handle.
You shudder.
----
Alesha has taken off her armor and is chopping firewood.
You pause for a second at the sight of her, in her skirted arming jacket, expertly splitting wood with a hatchet - before remembering you were here to help her do it and kicking yourself for thinking about your best friend that way, like you have with apparently everyone else in the party. (At least you knew not to touch doing anything with Jules, what with the roommate situation).
Focus, Deedee!
"I, uh, can get more logs?" you offer.
She sends the axe down, cutting through the log seemingly without effort - before looking up. She takes a deep breath and wipes her brow and you have to avert your eyes. Why are you like this, you ask yourself after Hikaru answered the question.
"Probably a good idea. Won't break my stride that way."
You nod, and start looking for dryer palm fronds and logs, gathering them up in your arms.
Both of you ask "How are you holding up?" at the same time.
You take a deep breath. "You first. You're the damn tank, you've gotten the worst of this," you insist.
Alesha laughs, a little too long, and you realize something is wrong.
"...Leesh," you say, voice rising a little, "what's going on?"
Alesha looks up to the sky. "You know," she sighs, "I play paladin types all across my games, yeah? Templar-types in O.K. and Golconda-seekers and Watchdogs of the West."
"Yeah," you say. "Uncomplicated do-gooders. Knights in shining armor. I remember you doing pro-bono work against Tlatocorp ConAgra in that one Sprawlrunners game because fuck those guys."
Alesha replaces the log, lets her axe fall. "This just got complicated all over my heroics. This tore me out of the good work I do in the real world, like getting people food, and my kids." She leans back, rolling a shoulder, wincing.
"I'm sorry," you say, because what else can you say?
Then you fight your impulse to go over and look at her shoulder for a beat before realizing fuck fighting that. "Let's do what we can right now, okay?" you say. "I really hope you aren't chopping wood with an injured shoulder."
She tries to wave you away. "Drunk a potion, laid my own hands on myself. I tested it before I started, it didn't hurt then."
You back off half a step, but you fold your arms. "Yeah, well, if it starts acting up tonight I have a lot of pneuma to air-kiss it better with," you say.
"I'll take that under advisement," she sighs. "Deeds, I know that pushing past my limits here isn't gonna do Jasmine and Keenan any good. I'm trying to pace myself. It's just..."
It strikes you that you can't quite relate to people at home missing you. Your rent checks, yes. You, not really.
Deep breaths.
"This is bigger than us," you say, honestly. "Just... tell me what you want, or need, and we'll see what we can do, okay? I know everyone from DC/AC would do the same."
Alesha nods, and you drop your pile of lumber next to her.
After a moment, she takes another log and sets it up. "Which means lasting until we can do something about it," she mutters.
You nod. "Until we know what's going on. Why we can't log out."
She drops her axe, and splits another perfect piece of wood. Then leaves the axe in the stump, and puts her hands to her face.
"Fuck," she says. "I think I was running Jazz through the Neverglades last night."
Fuck propriety, fuck holding back affection because you're afraid of getting a crush. She needs a hug, she's getting one.
After a moment Alesha hugs you back.
"She's smart," you say. "She'll make it. We'll find her."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Alesha says into your shoulder, before letting go. "I want to believe you, but there's only one part of that right now that isn't up to God."
You ask "Which one?" before you can stop yourself, and smack your palm against your head. "Probably the one who died for your sins," you say.
She manages a bit of a smile. "Deeds. If I'm offended you know I'll let you know. Right now I figure He won't begrudge delegating to Aurora."
"This got complicated in your do-gooding, huh," you say, grimacing.
She shakes her head, and takes up the axe again. "Never stopped me from helping people before."
----
Your rations had rice and peas and small purple carrots, which Ace somehow turned into the basis of a stirfry with abundant crab, as well as foraged chili and coconut. While the thought of eating your kills makes you a bit squeamish - and Ace managed to assure you that the feeling was mutual - it was amazingly good stuff, exactly what you needed. You have four bowls of the stuff, and you think the others were keeping pace, even Hikaru.
Apparently she learned it from her mother, which raises more questions that you're frankly too exhausted to ask. All of you are. You spent a good chunk of the day panicking and fighting, and it was later in the day than you thought when you "arrived" on the Shores of Awakening.
Everyone trades what notes and banter they can around the fire, but it's getting dark, with a large moon and some very close colorful stars rising in the night even with the fire roaring. You can't keep it up, and retire to your tent with compliments to the chef and wishes for sweet dreams.
You unroll your bedroll and take off your robe and debate, for a second, keeping on your lower layers; but you have no pajamas and were never comfortable in a shirt and shorts, so bite the bullet and strip naked, burrowing under your blanket.
It's weirdly comfortable, feeling the cool on your skin. More comfortable than you could have imagined.
More comfortable than you were at home.
Which is the last coherent thought you have before sinking into the mat and into the warm embrace of your dreams.
----
Congratulations for lasting your first day in Mundus.
Deedee has gained experience, and ranks up to 2nd level:
Vig 8 -> 9
Agi 5 = 5
Spi 8 -> 9
Mnd 3 = 3
Res 1 -> 2
She gains +25 HP and +4 PP.
She also gains 6 Skill Points and 4 Tech Points, which is where your votes come in.
Voting rules to follow.
